Hundreds of people gathered on the main street in Seaforth this afternoon to say good-bye to Seaforth resident and Huron East Economic Development Officer, Jan Hawley.
Many of the stores on the main street were there because of Hawley's efforts. Hawley passed away last Tuesday while she was at work. Mayor Bernie MacLellan called her the heart of the community and there were a lot of people on the main street this afternoon who would agree with that.
“When we turned on to the main street, I looked and I thought, it was all Jan, like the banners, I was with her when we picked out the type of Hydro poles, those special lamps that we have on the top, just the way the whole street was alive.”
Hawley worked tirelessly for economic development in the community. She was the one who brought in the Win This Space program, first to Seaforth, then to Brussels, Vanastra and to Clinton. She always believed that what helped one community prosper was good for the entire county.
There was a brief ceremony recognizing some the things that Hawley had done for the community and a video of that can be seen on the Hackett Funeral Homes web site.